Amusement device.



PATENTED JAN 16, 1906.

C. H; JAEGER. AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT.10,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

CHARLEs H. JAEGER',

No. 809,956. PATENTED JAN. 16, 1906. O. H. JAEGER.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE;

APPLIOATNN FILED 00w. 10.1905.

2 SHBETSSHEBT 2.

Q/vdvmoscs gmvawi'oz 4 #79,; CHARLES H.JP\EGER,

CHARLES H. JAEGER, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1906.

Application filed October 10,1905. Serial No. 282,105.

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. J AEGER, a citizen of the United Statesof. America, residing at 24 est Fifty-ninth street, borough ofManhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new anduseful Amusement Device; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to amusement devices or illusion apparatus,especially of the class in which passengers are seated in a bodyrepresenting a vehicle and adjacent moving parts create an illusion oftravel of the body which carries the passengers.

The object especially aimed at is to cause the passengers to believethat the vehicle is running away, jolting or jarring movements beingalso given to said body in addition to the movements of the adjacentparts which give the illusion of travel.

In the accompanying drawings, which represent somewhat diagrammaticallyapparatus embodying my invention, Figure 1 represents a top planview ofa structure showing three passenger-carrying bodies. Fig. 2 shows leverarrangements for shifting the side scenes as desired. Fig. 3 is a planview, the floor being removed, of one general arrangement of drivingconnections; and Fig. i is a longitudinal section of a part of Fig. 1.

The apparatus is provided with one or more passenger-carrying bodies A,which may be automobiles, more or less complete, or be constructed togive the appearance of automobiles. Such body or bodies may restdirectly upon flooring or other platform. To cause the passengers tobelieve that the body in which they are seated is running rapidly overan uneven road or is traveling uncontrolled, rising and falling, orjolting or twisting motions are contributed. to the body, which it is tobe understood does not actually travel. The rising and falling orjolting or twisting motions referred to may be given by any desiredconnections, and I have shown a mechanical arrangement which (see Fig.4) comprises an upright B, (which is loosely connected with the bottomof the body A,) and to which repeated reciprocations are imparted by arotatable barrel C.- For this pur. pose I have shown the upright Bprovided with a bottom roller b, (axially mounted between forks, forinstance,) which fits into and rides upon depressions and projections 0upon the periphery of barrel C. As will be seen, the rotation of thepart C will result in giving rising-and-falling jerky motions to theupright B, and the intervals between and the extent of such motions willbe dependent upon the number and size of the recesses and projectionsupon the surface of C and upon the speed of rotation thereof.

Any form of barrel C may be used; but in order not to again and againrepeat the same motionsof the body A, I prefer a broad barrel (see Fig.3) and provide connections whereby the same will be moved widthwise aswell as rotate. As shown, I may secure the part C upon an axial shaft Dand drive the same from a gear E,.which meshes with gear 6, carried bymain shaft X. To cause traverse movements of C, I show an axial screw F,engaging a projection in the framef, and connect the shaft D and the rodfrom gear E by a pin playing in slot G of the shaft.

The passenger-carrying body A, as stated, does not travel. To give theoccupants thereof the illusion of traveling, side scenes II and H (seealso Fig. 1) are provided, and these are rapidly moved at both sides ofan automobile A and toward the occupants.

These side scenes will be painted or ornamented in any way desiredforinstance, to represent trees, houses, fences, &c., past which a body Ais supposed to be travelingand to further heighten the illusion one ofthe scenes II or II maybe inclined toward the other, or both may beinclined, as shown in Fig. 1, thus giving a false perspective to theoccupants of the body A. The illusion of perspective will also beincreased if the apparatus is also provided with hanging curtains DC orSC (as hereinafter described) and upon which are painted views ofdistant mountains or other views. I have also provided means whereby theoccupants of the body A will still be led to believe when lookingforward at the roadway that their vehicle is in motion, and such meansconsists of a substitute road-bed which travels toward the body in whichthe occupants sit. This moving roadway consists of an endless con veyerL, of any suitable construction, and painted upon its exterior torepresent the upper surface of a road. The belt L moves around therollers M and N, the latter being driven by gear N, meshing with gear Oat the top of short shaft P, thelower end of which carries a gearmeshing with gear Q upon the main shaft X.

Before starting the apparatusgthe side scenes H and H are entirelyunwound from the upright rollers I and I and fully Wound upon theupright rollers J and J. As especially shown in Fig. 4, the scene H hasopen ings K therein (which may represent the doorways ofautomobile-garages) and through these doorways the passengers enter andleave to get to and from the bodies A. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, theremay be a series of bodies A, and one pair of side scenes may be usedwith the several bodies, running past all of them. In such event theapparatus will be divided into compartments by hanging curtains, asshown in Fig. 1. Such curtains may comprise dropped curtains DC, placeda considerable distance in advance of automobiles 1 and 2 and theright-hand stationary curtain SC. The side scenes H and H and theindividual road-beds L are then set in motion, the side scenes beingdriven by bevel-gears R and S, Fig. 3, from the main shaft X. Theoccupants of the bodies A may also witness, as they believe, the runningdown of objects by their vehicle. For this purpose the objects may bepermanently or temporarily attached to the roadways L and be drawntoward the bodies A. I contemplate giving the illusion of actuallyrunning down a man, and to accomplish this an attendzj ant may (seeFig. 1) enter from behind the right-hand curtain SC, step upon themoving roadway L, and apparently be carried underneath the firstautomobile. He will, however, be shunted down or upon stairs a, and willthen walk upstairs a and pass around the curtain DC and step upon thesecond roadway L, with the same result as before. This may be done asoften as there are bodies A and may be repeated as desired.

It will be readily understood that at the end of each run and before thenext run the side scenes H and H and the barrel C may be returned toinitial position. To avoid this, however, and to secure a great numberof runs ina day, the movements of the said parts in either direction areutilized to create the same illusions. In furtherance of this theautomobiles are mounted to be turned so as to face either forwardly orrearwardly. As shown in Fig. 1, the bodies A face to the right and thecurtains DC are down. I/Vhen, however, the bodies A are reversed, so asto face the left, such curtains DC would be too close to the occupantsto give an illusion of distance. I therefore use curtains in pairs, DCbeing down while RC are up, and when RC are down DC are raised. Thecurtains RC constitute distant views for the vehicle occupants whenfacing one direction. The curtains DC serve a like purpose when theoccupants face in the other direction.

The curtains SC at the ends of the apparatus are stationary, and it isnot necessary to raise or lower these.

It is desirable, of course, to preserve the illusion of perspective nomatter which direction the bodies A seem to travel, and for this purposeI may use a lever arrangement, such as illustrated in Fig. 2, whichshows the upright rollers I I and J J upon which the side scenes arewound, carried at the ends of long bars or beams V and W, which arerespectively pivoted at v and w and connected to swing as desired bylink-bar Y, which is gclmtected to the plate provided with han- I desireit to be understood that while I have shown one embodiment on myimprovement it will be obvious that other embodiments may be made, andthese will be within the scope of my invention.

. What I claim is 1. In an amusement device, a stationary bodyrepresenting a vehicle, means whereby the occupants may be seated toface either forwardly or rearwardly, and connections for impartingrocking movements to the stationary body.

2. In an amusement device, a stationary body representing avehicle,means for reversing said body to face either forwardly or rearwardly,and connections for imparting rocking movements to the stationary body.

3. In an amusement device, a stationary body representing a vehicle,connections for imparting rocking movements to said body, a flexiblebody representing a roadway, and connections for moving said flexiblebody toward the stationary body.

4. In an amusement device, a stationary body representing a vehicle, aflexible body representing aroadway a main shaft and connectionstherefrom for respectively rocking the stationary body and for movingthe flexible body toward the stationary body.

5. In an amusement device, a stationary body representing a vehicle,means whereby the occupants may be seated to face either forwardly orrearwardly, traveling bands representing scenery at opposite sides ofthe body and means to incline said bands toward each other in thedirection viewed by the occupants of the stationary body.

6. In an amusement device, a stationary body representing a vehicle, andconnections for imparting rocking movements to said body, saidconnections including a rotatable barrel provided with peripheralprojections and means for rotating said barrel and moving it lengthwise.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES H. JAEGER.

Witnesses GEORGE G. SCHOENLANK, FRANK H. LOGAN,

